Trail Focus:Trail Focus:
Adapted from the August-September 1998 North Star: The Magazine of the North Country Trail.
On the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, trail towns are something of a legend. Get any crowd of experienced ANST hikers together and you'll start hearing stories of the good times in such places as Hot Springs, Damascus, Harper's Ferry, Duncannon, or Monson.
The North Country Trail hasn't developed that sort of trail town culture and legend yet, but it's developed a few trail towns -- places that hikers look forward to for resupply, rest, recreation, good meals, a laundromat, and, most of all, hiker-friendly residents. Munising, Michigan, is probably the best-known of the NCNST trail towns, mostly because of the proximity of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, but there are other hiker favorites, like Xenia, Ohio -- and Mellen, Wisconsin.
Though small, Mellen is the largest town in Wisconsin on or near completed North Country Trail, and it's familiar and a cherished memory to many who have hiked the trail in the Dairy State. Located just a couple miles east of the eastern trailhead for the long-established trail in the Chequamegon National Forest, Mellen has been doing its share to complete the trail; the village some years ago completed a hiking-biking trail from downtown out to Copper Falls State Park, north of town, and more recently, in cooperation with the Heritage Chapter of the NCTA, marked certified and on-road marked connecting sections west to the Chequamegon National Forest trail head.
Copper Falls State Park has long-certified trail and a wonderfully scenic waterfall, one of the largest in the state. It's one of Wisconsin's lesser-visited State Parks, but well worth spending some time in.
0.0 [0.0] CHEQUAMEGON NATIONAL FOREST EAST TRAILHEAD The trail in the Chequamegon National Forest comes to its eastern trailhead on Kornstead Road, about 2.3 miles west of Mellen. If heading westbound, the trailhead is a little obscure if not paying a lot of attention. The trail, here a marked connecting section, follows the narrow gravel Kornstead Road east. After 1.9 miles, the trail enters the city of Mellen; the road becomes River Street, and the trail joins paralleling city sidewalks for another 0.4 miles, until reaching SR13 (Main Street).
MELLEN WI 54546 (Pop. 1048) is working hard to be thought of as a trail town, and succeeding; it's one of the most trail-friendly stops on the whole NCNST. Though a small town, it has a fairly complete list of services, including medium-sized grocery, hardware/sporting goods store, laundromat, motel, and restaurants -- the doughnuts at the Main Street Bakery and Cafe, located right on the trail, are famous among Wisconsin NCTA enthusiasts.
2.3 [2.3] TURN NORTH ON MAIN STREET Marked, certified trail follows sidewalks north (past the Main Street Cafe) for two blocks, until reaching Taylor Street.
2.5 [0.2] TURN EAST ON TAYLOR STREET Marked, certified trail follows sidewalks east for about 0.3 miles to Three Rivers City Park.
2.8 [0.3] TURN NORTH ON MARKED TRAIL From Three Rivers City Park, a trail developed by the city, marked with NCNST signs and local signs with "Hike and Bike Trail" on them heads north along Montreal Creek. Near the corner of Butler Street and SR169, it crosses the latter, then turns to parallel it on a separate treadway within the highway right-of-way out to the access road for Copper Falls State Park.
COPPER FALLS STATE PARK. The largest waterfall in the park is 29 feet high, and cuts through a gorge 60 to 100 feet deep. There are 4.4 miles of certified trail in the park, although part of it is on a spur that isn't used here. There are 56 regular campsites, four of which are of a walk-in type; in addition, there are two backpack campsites at the north end of the park. Reservations for campsites are suggested. Showers were constructed in 1997. There is a concession area with soft drinks, snacks, and souvienrs. For more information, contact Copper Falls State Park, RRT1, Box 17AA, Mellen WI 54546. (715) 274-5123.
4.3 [1.5] TURN NORTHWEST ON STATE PARK DRIVE Take the time to check out the waterfalls and rapids in Copper Falls State Park. It's necessary to follow the access road for a short distance -- about 0.1 mile -- to the visitor's entry area. From here, follow a short spur trail south of the access road westbound to the beach parking lot, then follow marked North Country Trail northbound, generally paralleling but usually separate from the park access road past the shower area, through the north campground and picnic area to the concession stand, then following the gorge north past copper falls, then southeast to a bridge leading northeast across Tyler's Fork. The trail turns back to the northwest, then west for a short distance, then turns north to cross Little Creek, then, about 0.5 mile past the crossing, a spur trail leads to the backpack campsites. The trail continues north for a short distance, then turns west to follow the river gorge, to where a powerline cut crosses the trail. Though the trail is marked a bit farther, on to another overlook, it's planned that new NCNST exiting the park will lead northeast from this point; completion of this segment is a high priority for the NCTA's Heritage Chapter, which has a tentative route planned from Copper Falls on the rest of the way through Wisconsin.
The NCNST east of Mellen to the Michigan State Line is largely undeveloped, although development efforts got under way in 1997, with a tentative route worked out, and some areas at least temporarily flagged. The NPS's Bill Menke hiked through it over the summer of 1997, and reported that the trail route will run through wonderfully varied countryside that includes other large waterfalls, and the Penokee Mountians, large, rugged hills. The Uller Trail, also certified in 1997, a seven-mile hiking and cross-country ski trail, about fifteen miles to the east, is the next certified segment of the trail, but it's hoped that much of this segment can be completed in the next few years -- for which long distance hikers can be grateful, as a road route between here and the Michigan state line is not very direct. About forty miles to the east is the Hurley, Wisconsin/Ironwood, Michigan area, probably the best resupply stop for long-distance hikers since the Duluth, MN area.
As time goes on, hikers leaving the Mellen area will carry pleasant memories and stories with them.